Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Best week of the year 2015!

I have been contemplating this post for quite sometime now. As the year came to a close, I should pen my thoughts which have been floating in my mind about that particular week from last year.

The opportunity to perform the duties of an RJ on an Internet channel came as a possibility through a friend "AM" who happens to be a founding member of the Internet channel. I spoke to another founding member "PM" which I considered similar to an interview. It was a nice chat and I was asked to record a sample audio file and send across. I dragged that for couple of weeks.

It was not easy to record. What you have to say has to be thought out before hand and even scripted out clearly. Only then I could produce any audio without a stutter or pause. Finally I sent the recorded sample, which got okayed and I was given a go ahead. It was as thrilling as getting a new job. Except that it is all completely voluntary!

Then family and life got in the way. Months rolled by with this thought in the back of my mind that I will someday 'may be' air a program of my own. Then it dawned on me that I have to take the first step towards it. The goal changed from putting out a perfect episode to just get a episode out.

I learnt that you have to embark on certain journeys without knowing about what all could happen on the way. I have to accept the fact that one cannot always be prepared completely for everything that might happen.

As PM said, I was ruining the fun in the journey by insisting that I should know in advance about what will happen at every step of it. So I came to terms with that fact that I will figure out what it takes to produce an episode of the show - one step at a time. And what a fun ride it was!

How true it is to say that you will always find time to do something that you enjoy doing. Also, the order of tasks to do becomes second nature when you figured it out. I figured it all out and as it was told to me, it just kept getting easier as each iteration happened. After the tiring job of cleaning up the kitchen after cooking, I managed to sit and write script for couple of songs. Little by little. I learnt that I have to complete the recording in one shot. That was a big time commitment - so I had to manage my time efficiently not to impact other important things in life.

So what do I love about this RJ role I play: I am the queen of my own world. I set the rules. I select the theme (of course, here I have to mention my partner in crime who has been a source of song ideas and encouragement to pursue something I have dreamt of. My classmate TP). I select the songs which have made an impact on me. I have to have a relation with that song, else I cannot do justice to writing the introduction to the song. Writing scripts was exercising the creative side of me. I love this part the most. Years have flown by me where I have not exercised my creative abilities for anything worthwhile.

So - coming to the best week of the year - it was a week in October where TT edited the files. I awaited eagerly to hear the first run of my program. All the bits and pieces I have recorded and given, how will they sound when edited into a stream? I was eager to find out.

That is when I found it out it already aired the previous day. Some miscommunication. The next run was going to be early morning 4AM. Can you imagine me getting up at an early hour of 3.45 AM to listen to my first program? Hubby dear was worn out with his voluntary work for church. So as he dozed off, I enjoyed the show with my friend (partner in crime mentioned earlier) and my Appa on whatsapp. I was so thrilled.

Next re run was on a Friday and I let each friend know. And what fun it was to know that people who are close to my heart are listening to it and letting me know that they are with me!

That surely was the best week of 2015!

Months later, for Xmas, my hubby dear gets me this new mic and we record and edit all at the same time! It is all a puzzle to begin with, it flows along and before we know it, the whole episode is ready! Hoping for many more enjoyable creations in 2016!

Oh Yes, oh Yes, oh Yes....so lovely to see you following your heart and opening your creative side. I loved reading this process, it is all about the journey isn't it? The satisfaction comes from the journey not the outcome when we follow our passions. Keep it going, all the best, my dear Anamika. love, UL xo